Gut check time

So Johnny Mo has seen his wish for a bye to the final vanish with a mano-a-mano loss to Brad Gushue (photo) in the battle for first place tonight at the Trials.

Team Morris must now rebound from two consecutive losses – Morris was up 5-2 in the morning game before losing, and was shooting 45 per cent halfway through tonight's match – and show up hard as nails against Winnipeg's Jeff Stoughton in Saturday night's semi.

Kelowna's Pat Ryan couldn't upend Glenn Howard, and finishes a strong fourth, just out of the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the young Gushues must wait a full two and one-half days before competing for everything they've ever dared dream of... and in front of nearly a million people on CBC. They have to check their guts, too... and they'll probably look to the veteran Russ Howard for guidance.

But the question is... who is going to check Russ' guts?